They say the loss of a rocket is like that of a limb
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Don't know about you, but I'd much rather lose a rocket than a limb!
Cooly568
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Psssh, just a fun little analogy I guess.
Yeah losing a rocket hurts, but I have hundred of those but only 4 limbs. Plus I'm averse to intense pain.
Cooly568
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This was my first time I ever put time into customizing and painting a rocket. Decided to fly on a D12 and it went just a bit too far
If it's any condolence to you, it happens to everyone. Worst is losing not only the rocket but an expensive casing as well. Grrrrr!
Cooly568
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Oh absolutely, I imagine it gets worse with high power
rharshberger
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Either accept it as a consequence or dont fly...however that tree will loseca limb or two if necessary..[emoji1]
Cooly568
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Well it is 50 feet up, soooo... Probably won't see it again, but I should live
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A slingshot, some fishing line, and a lead weight can do wonders.
Cooly568
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Any, more specifics on that?
See the issue is its in a fifty foot tree right next to a forest i can't enter because it's littered in probably poison ivy
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ericm541
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This was hard to leave, 4 1/2 hour drive back home, 75/5120 case, 2 missile works altimeters, parachutes + rigging and of course the rocket. Lucky to have someone who is an expert tree climber in the area and was able to retrieve everything without damage a week later. I agree though if you can't handle potentially loosing everything, don't fly.
Bear is Driving
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I treed my Argent yesterday but a ladder and a long flag pole later I hauled the thing down along with a few broken branches. Only chipped a bit of the paint!
Which was surprising because I was hauling on the forward tube very, very hard. I valued getting the Altimeter 3 and Chute Release down far more than getting the rocket back in one piece. Fortunately I have all three (no case because I was using a single use motor).
Note: I packed the chute in a rush so the shroud lines got tangled in the shock cord and it descended rather quickly the whole way down. Ironically the tree probably saved it.
Still, the End point being above the ground makes me laugh.
Which was surprising because I was hauling on the forward tube very, very hard. I valued getting the Altimeter 3 and Chute Release down far more than getting the rocket back in one piece. Fortunately I have all three (no case because I was using a single use motor).
Note: I packed the chute in a rush so the shroud lines got tangled in the shock cord and it descended rather quickly the whole way down. Ironically the tree probably saved it.
Still, the End point being above the ground makes me laugh.
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Cooly568
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Well it's good to see it back at allI treed my Argent yesterday but a ladder and a long flag pole later I hauled the thing down along with a few broken branches. Only chipped a bit of the paint!
Which was surprising because I was hauling on the forward tube very, very hard. I valued getting the Altimeter 3 and Chute Release down far more than getting the rocket back in one piece. Fortunately I have all three (no case because I was using a single use motor).
Note: I packed the chute in a rush so the shroud lines got tangled in the shock cord and it descended rather quickly the whole way down. Ironically the tree probably saved it.
Still, the End point being above the ground makes me laugh.
I actually have a Lower power rocket that has a tangled parachute but it's light enough to just bonk on the ground safely
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Worried about poison ivy? Long pants, wear socks, shoes, long sleeved shirt, gloves, and a face shield if you're really worried. You should be fine... Worried about cleaning the clothes? Go to Goodwill and buy clothes you don't care about and toss them.
Cooly568
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Well less the ivy, more the slingshot weight, and fishing line idea you described. I watched some videos about it, but I don't know if it'd be better to try snapping the branch the rocket is on or to pull it off of it
At least you know where the rocket is. I had one launched accidentally before I had the GSE booted to get GPS tracking. That's about $1200 worth of kit sitting somewhere in a region of about 27square km. That is nearly two years ago and it has not turned up.
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Tie fishing line to weight, use slingshot to launch line over the branch... If needed, tie parachute cord to the line, pull that over the branch, and yank it down.
lakeroadster
When in doubt... build hell-for-stout!
Well if a tree said that.. and it loses a limb for you to retrieve the rocket, all is good.
Greek mythology talks about the Dodona Grove of trees that spoke and delivered oracles, thus warning of approaching calamities. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talking_tree
Better yet, who needs mythology? Call these guys...
Cooly568
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Oh yeah, where can I call these guys when you need them?
Update on my attempts though, I took to throwing a bolt with some fishing line behind it over the tree, and we actually weakened the branch the rocket was hanging on, but the line snapped before we got it. We're gonna get better line for tomorrow
Andrew_ASC
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It gets worse when it’s a university multistage high power project and you have to explain a total airframe loss to the tune of several grand to a executive at university. And they tell you build another multistage rocket in half the time with own funds or fail a year. Car factory engineering internship saved our hides... When you’ve hurled ten times on a salt flat after watching $2.5k of other sponsor money implode in half a second. Picked up the broken pieces. Learned what you didn’t know. And built another rocket with your own funds after wrecking the planned budget that some university first funded. Nothing like those capstone design classes. Oh and you travel to three states then miss a week of hard engineering classes not made up for winning a national competition in second attempt while doing engineering courses which 70% kids quit at. And some team projects simply copied the last year team project. Not with rocket we had to do everything from scratch. LOL.
Had to design a simple rocket that day at Utah or team was leaving me there to walk back to Tennessee. Came up with a $600 design variant to 11.5k ft on the spot with a solid interstage. We flew it a month later. Double the altitude was five times the cost.
At least with most high power projects it’s your hobby time and money. Not like a forced deadline with high expectations. 68 of 88 teams did not finish nor fly a multistage high power rocket. We flew two. And that was a wimpy L-1 project. Not ESRA or IREC.
/Rant.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XTPGSXC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Check your local sporting goods or camping/hunting/fishing supply store.
Check your local sporting goods or camping/hunting/fishing supply store.
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Flyfalcons
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It's part of the game. If we were guaranteed success every time, then it wouldn't be as much fun.
snrkl
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Ouch...
billdz
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50' is not that high, from the photo the rocket looks retrievable. The fishing line/slingshot method should work. If not, borrow a telescoping pole, many clubs have them available. That's how I retrieved the rocket in the attached photo.
If the tree is not on private property, could it be cut with a chain saw? If all else fails, you can pay someone to get it, some people are like cats and can climb almost anything. At my club, there are power lines, when a rocket gets snagged we call the power company and someone comes with a cherry picker to get the rocket down, the flier just has to give the guy a nice tip.
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SpaceManMat
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Well if my leg ever explodes at over 1000km/h I’ll let you know how it feels.
Andrew_ASC
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Get six square cross section wood sections like ten feet long. Then put a snare wire on the end. Then play the can you snag a rocket game from a tree game.
Worked for pulling R/C planes outta trees and off of roofs.
Worked for pulling R/C planes outta trees and off of roofs.
For myself, the first dozen or so lost to trees was bad.
After that, you begin to expect it.
If it weren't for my auto finishing background, I would have probably gave up on finishing a rocket a long time ago before flying it.
But it does teach one how to lean the rod into the wind, use longer delays, and pray you don't get a zipper.
After that, you begin to expect it.
If it weren't for my auto finishing background, I would have probably gave up on finishing a rocket a long time ago before flying it.
But it does teach one how to lean the rod into the wind, use longer delays, and pray you don't get a zipper.
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